This weekend there's lots of music to choose from plus an art exhibit featuring portraits of local bartenders. Neat.

First up is something from the ever-busy So Say We All: "VAMP: The Open Road" tonight at 8:30pm at the Whistle Stop. San Diego's best and brightest writers read stories centering around the loose theme of the open road.

On Friday at 7:00pm at Bosh Studio and Gallery, you can get a different perspective on San Diego bartenders with "Neat," a new series of portraits of local bartenders by Michael Boshart. How many can you recognize? The subject matter may draw a different crowd to the Barrio Logan gallery to see an art show. Tin Can Ale House provides beverage support.

If you want a preview of what's to come at the new Block No. 16 venue, there's a soft opening this Friday so you can check out the space and see all the renovations that have been documented on their website.

The Casbah is a well-established venue with some exciting music this Sunday from And So I Watch You From Afar and Zechs Marquise. Seth Combs says, "I'm really excited about this show and I have my baby brother to thank. Zechs Marquis is particularly interesting. Fans of Mars Volta and At the Drive-In will want to check them out because most of the band is made up of the siblings of Drive-In/Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, and in this case it seems talent runs in the family (they're also on his record label). And So I Watch You From Afar is from Belfast, Northern Island. Fans of King Crimson, Can and even Rush will want to check out this show."

And finally, let's check in on some local album release parties.

Smile Now Cry Later will make its debut at the Whistle Stop on Friday, and Nervous Wreckords/Maren Parusel will be at Casbah on Saturday. Combs wrote about Lizeth Santos and her music project Smile Now Cry Later early on and he says, "To watch her go from playing for three people to packing in dance-happy hipsters as well as middle-aged music lovers is really cool."

Nervous Wreckords is Brain Karcig's (music scene veteran, leader of Louis XIV and Convoy) new band while Maren Parusel used to play in the girl-punk band Wild Weekend, but left in order to pursue her own, more pop-friendly music in hopes that she might make it big.